WASHINGTON, D.C. — Initial weekly jobless claims ticked back up during the week ending Nov. 14, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. Total claims totaled 742,000, up from 709,000 the prior week — the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expected this week’s total to be 710,000. The initial claims have been historically high throughout the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in the United States in mid-March. Claims hovered around 200,000 per week in January and February. The four-week moving average for the week ending Nov. 14 was 742,000, a decrease of 13,750 from the previous week. Continuing claims, for which data is a week behind, totaled nearly 6.4 million for the week ending Nov. 7, a decrease of 429,000 from the previous week.
On Nov. 12, Southeast Real Estate Business hosted “What is the Outlook for the Affordable Housing Sector in the Southeast.” Listen to hear how leaders in the industry are coping with challenges from both a developer/owner/investor perspective and a broker/lender perspective. See below for a brief list of topics covered by each panel. Panel One: Developer/Owner/Investor Rising costs for building affordable housing projects Low interest rates offsetting costs Alternative ways to grow the affordable housing stock Do’s and don’ts for general contractors and developers Capital sources Returns — what can affordable housing developers expect? Panel One: Broker/Lender Pandemic impact on existing affordable housing properties/plans for new development Investor appetite Sellers revise their expectations as new buyers enter market Impact of the election on the sector in 2021 Availability of capital for investments currently Developer/Owner/Investor Panel: Marc Padgett, Summit Contracting Group (moderator) Max Cruz, Housing Trust Group Nick Andersen, Development Dominium H. Granvel Tate, III, The Michaels Organization Ray Kuniansky, Columbia Residential Broker/Lender Panel Kyle Shoemaker, Affordable Housing Investment Brokerage (moderator) Derek DeHay, Newmark Eric Taylor, Greystone Real Estate Advisors Sheri Davis, Highland Commercial Mortgage Jeff Rodman, M&T Realty Capital Kevin Morris, Colliers Affordable Housing Group Webinar sponsors: Summit Contracting …
ATHENS, GA. — Landmark Properties has broken ground on four student housing developments in the Southeast worth $600 million in value. New projects include Phase II of The Mark at Athens near the University of Georgia (UGA); The Standard at College Park near the University of Maryland; Legacy at The Standard near the University of Florida (UF); and The Retreat at Kennesaw near Kennesaw State University (KSU) in metro Atlanta. Phase II of The Mark at Athens is located adjacent to the UGA campus and will offer studio, one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units alongside 19,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space. The project is set for completion in fall 2022. The Standard at College Park will offer 951 beds in studio, one-, two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom units. Community amenities will include a fitness center, sauna, computer lab and study lounge. The development is slated for completion in fall 2023. Legacy at The Standard is located three blocks north of UF’s campus and will offer 155 units totaling 543 beds. The community is scheduled for delivery in fall 2022 and will feature shared amenities including an outdoor pool and grilling area, a study lounge and café, computer lab and …
ALEXANDRIA, VA. — Hilco Redevelopment Partners, a division of Hilco Global, has acquired Potomac River Generating Station (PRGS), a 20-acre, shuttered coal power plant in Alexandria. Specific details were not released, but Hilco officials said they intend to redevelop the site into a mixed-use project, featuring housing, office space, retail and public open spaces. The site is situated along the Potomac River at 1400 N. Royal St., seven miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco) sold the site for an undisclosed price. Pepco will retain a property interest and will continue to own and operate an electrical substation at the site. PRGS was decommissioned in 2012.
ATLANTA — Papa John’s International Inc. has selected Three Ballpark Center at The Battery Atlanta for its new regional headquarters. The Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain expects to add 200 jobs at the 60,000-square-foot office space, which is expected to open summer 2021. Papa John’s will move its menu innovation; marketing; customer experience; human resources; diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; and development departments to The Battery. The corporate headquarters, IT, supply chain and legal teams will remain in Louisville. Located in Atlanta’s Cumberland/Galleria submarket, The Battery Atlanta is a 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use development in Cobb County that surrounds Truist Park, home ballpark of the Atlanta Braves that opened in April 2017 as SunTrust Park. Papa John’s will be the third office headquarters within the development, joining Comcast and Thyssenkrupp North American. Braves Group, a subsidiary of Liberty Media, owns The Battery Atlanta.
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Mallory & Evans Development and its property management company Caliber Living will open Flagship Kerns, a two-building, 310-unit co-living project in Knoxville. Leases will start at three months and prospective tenants can lease by the unit or the bedroom. Co-living properties are designed as affordable housing options for renters seeking flexible leasing arrangements and shared common areas with other residents. Flagship Kerns’ units will include granite countertops, walk-in closets, stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers, smart home units with smart locks, smart TVs and Ecobee thermostats. Communal amenities will include a pool, 24-hour fitness center, work/study pods and a conference area. Atlanta-based Mallory & Evans expects to open the community in January. Flagship Kerns will mark Phase I of three to open at the historic Kern’s Bakery. The other phases will comprise a 75,000 square-foot redevelopment of Kern’s Bakery to include a food hall, retail and office spaces, event venues and a brand-name hotel. Kern’s Bakery was originally built in 1929 and has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
WAKE FOREST AND CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Wegmans will open two new grocery stores in 2021 in Wake Forest and Chapel Hill. The New York-based grocer plans to add 500 full-time jobs and nearly 900 total jobs at the two stores. The store in Wake Forest will span 104,000 square feet and will house 200 full-time employees. The property, located at 11051 Ligon Mill Road, is expected to open in May. The asset in Chapel Hill is expected to open in late February and will house 300 full-time jobs. The store will span 99,000 square feet and is situated at 1810 Fordham Blvd. Also, in North Carolina, a Wegmans in Cary recently sold for $34.9 million.
CARY, N.C. — Hines and Columbia Development have broken ground on Fenton, a 69-acre mixed-use project in Cary that is expected to be complete in spring 2022. In addition to the groundbreaking, the developers also announced that Arhaus has preleased 17,974 square feet at Fenton. The retail portion is now 73 percent preleased and includes other retailers such as Wegmans, CMX CineBistro, Sephora, Free People and Bailey’s Fine Jewelry. Fenton is located at the intersection of Interstate 40 and Cary Towne Boulevard, three miles from downtown Cary and eight miles southwest of downtown Raleigh. At full buildout, the property will include approximately 345,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space, 170,000 square feet of office space, The Canopy at Fenton and a 175-room boutique hotel.
BOWLING GREEN, KY. — Georgia-Pacific, a manufacturer of paper and wood products, has opened a $100 million Dixie manufacturing facility in Bowling Green. Georgia-Pacific began the expansion in 2019. The project included adding an 80,000-square-foot operations building, a new industrial printer and additional plate-forming presses. More than 70 full-time jobs were added due to the expansion, bringing the number of employees at the plant to more than 200. The plant was originally built in 1991. The facility accounts for approximately 25 percent of all paper plates and bowls that Georgia-Pacific produces. The Atlanta-based company also operates a plant in Lexington, Ky.
ATLANTA — The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) has reported that its third-quarter sales reached $33.5 billion, a 23.2 percent increase over third-quarter sales for 2019. Net earnings for the third quarter were $3.4 billion, or $3.18 per diluted share, compared with net earnings of $2.8 billion, or $2.53 per diluted share, in the same fiscal period of 2019. The Atlanta-based retailer’s third quarter ended on Oct. 31. Chairman and CEO Craig Menear cited demand for home improvement projects in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as a steady driver for increased sales. Menear says sales have reached $15 billion through the first nine months of the company’s fiscal year. As of the end of its third quarter, Home Depot operated 1,986 stores in the United States and territories. In addition to reporting third-quarter earnings, The Home Depot also announced it will invest $1 billion in permanent compensation for hourly associates. Throughout the pandemic, the company has taken actions to support its employees, including temporary weekly bonuses and offering extended paid time off. The Home Depot’s stock price closed Monday at $279.96 per share, up from $238.85 a year ago.